"<< Background >>According to the Report of the WHO and Alzheimer Disease International, dementia is a worldwide public health priority. The rapid aging of European society makes the scenario dramatic from the social point of view and the costs of the disease,so much so that in 2011the EuropeanParliament asked that dementia become a health priority for the Member States, invited to develop specific national programs and to make research funds accessible.One of the challenges in the near future is a sharp increase in the number of individuals diagnosed with dementia.Researchers estimate that the population of people diagnosed with dementia will double over the next 25years, with a consequent increase in the demand for assistance. This puts pressure on our society since drug therapy is insufficient in managing the complex clinical picture characterized by cognitive, behavioral and psychiatric symptoms.A variety of psychosocial interventions for people with dementia have been developed and evaluated in recent decades.Several systematic reviews show that multicomponent support programs for people with dementia in tune with individual needs are more effective than single patient support activities.Although the added value of combined support programs has been demonstrated repeatedly in scientific studies, their implementation remains limited in care practices across Europe.Research on the implementation of care innovations, including psychosocial care interventions, shows that dissemination and implementation are not easy and certainly are not a guaranteed consequence of the proven effectiveness of these innovations.So we face the problem of how to make professionals adequately trained in the management of patients with dementia.Currently the teaching and training methodology of those dealing with dementia is very varied and uneven across the international scene.Today, education and training systems are changing and favor a competence-centered approach.Therefore, the importance of improving skills is a fundamental requirement in the field of teaching/training. With this in mind, the priority is to develop an innovative higher education system capable of improving basic and key competences, adapted to the needs of the person with dementia in order to improve the quality of life.Through these actions DementiaCare intends to maximize the quality of the teaching/training addressed to academicians, while promoting inclusive system that will welcome differences.Through awareness-raising activities,orientation and motivational strategies we will tend to spread the importance of an innovative and highly specialized training model,to broaden the demand for specific and highly qualified teaching/training.The DementiaCare methodology also aims to support people in the acquisition and development of basic skills and emotional, social and creative key competences.These skills and competences are configured as indispensable elements to respond adequately to the needs of patients and at the same time to develop problem solving and resilience skills.DementiaCare intends to encourage the exchange of good practices,new methods of elaboration,delivery and evaluation of programs and new multidisciplinary training approaches able to promote high levels of teaching and skills development among different institutions and training institutions.The project is developed thanks to the alliance of knowledge and cooperation between higher education institutions,training agencies,clinical and research centers, which share and develop knowledge, good practices and methodologies to achieve the common goal of improving the quality of training of educators working in the dementia sector.DementiaCare focuses on the adoption of non-pharmacological intervention strategies,in particular on the use of art therapy, recognized as a technique capable of reducing the depressive and behavioral symptoms of the clinical picture and of improving the patients'overall quality of life.<< Objectives >>The main objectives of the DementiaCare method are:1. Provide a comprehensive training program for educators, so that they can gain a deep understanding of the nature of dementia and the needs of the patient and provide them with the right skills necessary for work in the health and social sector;2. Evaluate the effectiveness of a specific training curriculum;3. To disseminate knowledge and evidence on how a highly specialized training curriculum based on the use of ""Art Therapy"" can be applied and best implemented in the treatment of dementia and how it can improve the quality of life of people with dementia.4. European sharing of experiences, through staff exchanges, training courses, joint activities, etc.<< Implementation >>The activities will be developed in 5thefollowing steps:Step1:Project management Leader OKAThe objective of WP1 is to facilitate the overall management of the project to guarantee its correct execution and all its activities through a seamless communication, including the contractual, legal, financial, administrative, technical and ethical parts of the delivery of the project.In this phase a collaborative work platform will also be created to be shared throughout the project.The following objectives will be pursued:-Provide coordination and general management of the project-Facilitate the effective functioning of the project and the timely delivery of quality results,ensuring that all partners act in accordance with the workplan-Respond to any unexpected developments, take corrective actions and reduce risks.Job description:The project coordinator will supervise the project management,through meetings with Skype and twice a year face to face to ensure easy administration,will constantly communicate with all partners informing them promptly about developments and the approach of deadlines for activities and results.Step2:State of the art research Leader IFE,UR,UK,AB.A survey will be conducted among assistance organizations and specialized dementia care centers to identify facilitators and barriers expected for the implementation of DementiaCare.This activity will also allow the identification of the various interventions already used,analyzing their effectiveness.This will include the following objectives:-Analysis and evaluation of the various non-pharmacological interventions used in the treatment of dementia;-Establish analytical/interpretative models to correlate user responses and therapeutic interventions;-Analysis of training needs;-Identification of the profile and skills that best fit the role of educator;Job description:Step2 will provide a literature analysis of the interventions most used in the treatment of dementia, identifying the limits and resources of the strategies already tested.Step3:Development of DementiaCare.Starting from the survey analysis, the DementitaCare methodology will be developed.Targets:-Curriculum development;-Definition of training modules;-Identification of intervention strategies.Job description:The Step3 leader OKA,GU,UF,EIA,SA - Atlântica.Will study and develop the contents of the curriculum by identifying the best practices of art therapy for the treatment of dementia in relation to the needs of the patient and the level of severity.Step4:Implementation and testing Leader AB,UK,UR,IFEStep4 will conduct the curriculum implementation and testing to evaluate its effectiveness.Different methodologies will be used during the implementation and testing of the curriculum, including a pilot training course, active learning, simulations, group work, discussion, case studies, observation, classroom lessons, meetings with professionals and associations that work in the dementia sector.Targets:-Application of art therapy with people with dementia.-Evaluation of the impact and effectiveness of thecurriculumdeveloped.-Development ofdesignguidelines for the future use of art therapy in the treatment of dementia.Job description:Step4 will include the implementation and final testing of the curriculum in order to evaluate its effectiveness.Step5:Dissemination of results leaderALLPartnersAt the end of the project,a final national event will be organized in each country to present the results of the study to relevant services,such as dementia care centers, policy makers,and research associations.Targets:-Disseminate information events through appropriate project partners-Keep onlineresources OpenAccess.-Continuation activity to enable the sustainability of the partnership.The partners will summarize the scientific documents in targeted peer reviewed conferences and periodical publications results of project.All partners will produce content for the project website<< Results >>The project provides curriculum design, implementation, tests, learning outcomes and impact assessment. During the planning through the comparison of the different profiles of the partner it will be possible to realize a constructive exchange of good practices and methods in order to realize a formative method valid at European level. This phase will allow the strengthening of the collaboration between the partners and a further improvement of the project management. DementiaCare's long-term goal is to develop a teaching/training methodology based on the use of Art Therapy, understood as a treatment tool capable of reducing the behavioral symptoms of dementia, applied in the early stages of the disease, and to disseminate greater knowledge of the complexity of the clinical picture of dementias. A concrete result will be the transposition of online teaching materials on the platform, where all the training modules and rehabilitative tools developed during the project will be inserted. The materials will be available without time limits, for free use, even after the end of the project as Open Educational Resources (OER). The expected results in dementia service provision are the strengthening of the professional, creative and personal skills of educators. In the long term the expected result is a new, innovative and highly specialized approach for educators working in the dementia sector. Through the dissemination of the results obtained, the project is expected to have a strong impact on three levels: academic; professional and social. The project will have an indirect impact on all families."